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Post by neilsmith on Aug 8, 2015 5:28:57 GMT
I Brought this car in june 2013 and one of the first jobs that I did was to remove the engine. The car had been standing outside for many years and the cylinder head had not been fitted. The person who previously owned the car had spent a lot of money on reconditioning the engine. But as you can see from the photo the rain water had got into the engine when it ran down the windscreen and under the bonnet. The pistons where seized solid to the cylinders and the engine was now scrap! Attachments:
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Post by Peter on Aug 10, 2015 8:08:57 GMT
Saw something like that on my last dive in the Red Sea.
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Post by neilsmith on Aug 10, 2015 20:19:32 GMT
Another job that I done early on was to modify the cortina steering column because it is quite a bulky thing. I found that the clutch pedal was very close to it and the pedal couldn't be moved any further to the left due to the transmission tunnel. I removed the lower part of the outer column casing so that there was more room to press down the clutch pedal without my foot being obstructed by the column.I had to install an extra bearing to stop movement inside the column assembly, but now clutch pedal operation is much improved.
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Post by neilsmith on Aug 14, 2015 17:57:53 GMT
The gearbox was removed and when it was stripped down it was found that some water had got inside. It was probably because the gear stick had been left out and water leaks to the inside of the car and condensation had found its way inside the gearbox. A complete overhaul kit was ordered, that included all synchro rings bearings gaskets and seals. I stripped and cleaned the gearbox when it was re assembled it was painted mat black and the alloy parts polished. It took a couple of days to complete. The next thing to do was to obtain a replacement engine. Attachments:
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Post by E.O.C. Administrator on Aug 15, 2015 9:26:26 GMT
I always find that as long as one has the skills to do it properly a own rebuild is better than a shop one and the satisfaction is HUGE, well done.
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Post by neilsmith on Aug 17, 2015 20:09:18 GMT
I was fortunate enough to find a 2000 pinto engine for sale that had been reconditioned including lightening and balancing, and had only covered a few hundred miles. The only problem was that it was not suitable for unleaded fuel. So I obtained a recondition head from a 2000 injection sierra that was suitable for unleaded.It did not include a camshaft so I brought a new fast road kent cam kit. I was told that this would give 10 to 15% more power. Before the engine and gearbox were fitted I painted the front cross member/axle and the front part of the chassis. I fitted gearbox first then engine block and lastly cylinder head once the block was bolted up to gearbox. Attachments:
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Post by Peter on Aug 18, 2015 11:57:25 GMT
Nice combo. coming on nicely. Should be a quick motor, When I rebuilt by VW 1600 into a 1641 stage three I found one thing led to another and before I know it I was 2,000€ down the road and I'm still adding things to it like a better alloy alternator pulley..
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Post by neilsmith on Aug 25, 2015 18:03:12 GMT
I set the valve clearances before the head was fitted to the engine. Once head was fitted there is very little room for the rocker cover to be fitted. So engine mounts had to be removed so that the engine could be dropped down enough to allow rocker cover to be fitted. You can see that it is all very close to body work. I have seen a lot of Eagles with the bodywork cut away at the back of the head but I was reluctant to do this as it weakens body and allows rain water to run onto the engine.
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Post by Peter on Aug 26, 2015 15:10:37 GMT
If you can get the lump in without cutting back the scuttle so much the better, looks a tight fit. Of course the factory fit is a 4" cut back into the scuttle with an extension on the bonnet, always looked a hack to me so well done.
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Post by neilsmith on Sept 9, 2015 18:27:17 GMT
A rubber seal was fitted onto the scuttle panel where the bonnet closes. This helps prevent water from running onto the engine and HT leads. When I brought the car it came with a 4 branch manifold but I had to cut this in about 3 places and re weld to make it fit and not touch on the chassis. You can see it is also a very close fit to steering column. I had to replace the radiator, and I fitted it into position with the radiator cap about an inch from the under side of the bonnet.(The build manual tells you to fit it like this). The only problem was that the auto choke and heater were difficult to bleed air out of. So I decided to make up a new radiator top hose that had a filler cap built into it, making it easier to fill up and bleed cooling system.
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Post by neilsmith on Sept 9, 2015 18:31:13 GMT
A rubber seal was fitted onto the scuttle panel where the bonnet closes. This helps prevent water from running onto the engine and HT leads. When I brought the car it came with a 4 branch manifold but I had to cut this in about 3 places and re weld to make it fit and not touch on the chassis. You can see it is also a very close fit to steering column. I had to replace the radiator, and I fitted it into position with the radiator cap about an inch from the under side of the bonnet.(The build manual tells you to fit it like this). The only problem was that the auto choke and heater were difficult to bleed air out of. So I decided to make up a new radiator top hose that had a filler cap built into it, making it easier to fill up and bleed cooling system. View Attachment
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Post by neilsmith on Sept 27, 2015 14:31:06 GMT
I decided to use an electric fan which has a thermo switch in the top radiator hose. The battery that I am using at the moment is a little on the large side but is good for stating engine and carrying out electrical checks. I will be changing it later for a smaller one. Attachment DeletedAttachment Deleted
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Post by neilsmith on Sept 27, 2015 14:40:54 GMT
A battery support frame was made from 25mm square tube. It is bolted to the Cortina front cross member,and also helps to support the front fibre glass bodywork behind the bumper. In its original form the Eagle body isn't very well supported at the front end,and this has caused some stress cracks in the fibre glass gelcoat.
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Post by Peter on Sept 27, 2015 14:44:36 GMT
Neat looking mount, but looks like it might rob a fair bit of air flow from the fan input or is it just the camera angle?
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Post by neilsmith on Oct 2, 2015 17:06:53 GMT
Yes, I think I may be moving that fan over to the right side of the radiator. I have driven the car on and of the drive only. I may find that when given a long road test it may run a little too hot. Also I may have to drop the radiator down slightly as it is touching the bonnet.
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Post by neilsmith on Oct 9, 2015 17:22:20 GMT
Setting up the headlamps correctly took me quite a long time. The fist thing that I had to do was free up the headlamp lifting motor. As the car had been standing for many years the motor had seized, but I was able to free it up and get it working. Fortunately an original build manual came with the car and I followed the instructions within it on setting up the lifting bar and also wired it up as recommended in the manual.
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Post by Peter on Oct 12, 2015 11:16:39 GMT
Nice to see to original build manual being used, does your motor have the built in stop switch for down otherwise it could cycle past down and go up again until it hits the micro switch in the up position?. I have two micro switches and a relay to raise and lower so I only need an UP or ON command from the light switch to dip switch wire, no up/down switch needed, switching OFF the head lights automatically returns the headlights to off and down. Likewise for the dip and main, only the main beam is needed as dip is the default via a relay, also reduces the load on the switches to milliamperes. I'll see if I can dig out the diagram or make a new one, built a new PC and not everything was swapped over, lost my photo folder somewhere .
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Post by neilsmith on Oct 12, 2015 18:10:42 GMT
Yes the motor that I have must have a built in stop switch as the headlamps lift up and go down as they should. I had an SS a few years ago that had a two switch and relay system as you describe. I have copied the instructions for headlamp system from the original build manual that was printed in the early to mid 1980's. See below. If you click on it, it will 'blow up' big enough to see. I know that there is a newer manual that shows a different set up.
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Post by neilsmith on Oct 13, 2015 18:05:28 GMT
I made up some additional support for the headlamp lifting bar, this was to prevent the bodywork wearing away where the bar passes through to the headlamp pods. I made it from some cut and drilled black plastic. I will still need to make up a bracket for the motor as the bodywork flexes when the headlamps are operated. This will all probably have to be removed again when I get the car painted.
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Post by Peter on Oct 13, 2015 20:42:22 GMT
The motor mount on the Ford version as always flimsy as the bottom of the 'boot' was cut away but even on the VW version a reinforcing plate is a good thing, I used a 4mm thick polypropylene chopping board to make my bar mounts, way too sloppy just in the body. Great progress. Bout of 'stomach flu' (and all that entails) has laid me low just as I wanted to get stuck in again in the cooler weather.
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Post by neilsmith on Oct 18, 2015 12:11:13 GMT
You are making great progress with your Eagle. Have you got any pictures of the headlamp motor support that you constructed for your car?
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Post by neilsmith on Oct 19, 2015 18:33:05 GMT
For the dashboard a Cortina Ghia instrument cluster was used, and I made up an aluminium fascia for it to make it less like it came from a donor car. The wiring loom that came with the Eagle had been cut about and was in a very poor state. I brought a second hand Cortina loom but it wasn't designed to take a rev counter so I had to swap some of the terminals around where it connected to the cluster. I also had to add a wire in between the cluster and negative side of coil to make rev counter work. To make it all fit correctly some small wooden blocks were bonded under the dash and covered with fibre glass. metal brackets were screwed between the cluster and dash where blocks were bonded in.
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Post by Gary on Oct 20, 2015 18:11:22 GMT
Nice way of hiding the old dials.
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Post by Peter on Oct 21, 2015 13:04:25 GMT
That looks very neat, always a problem fitting parts to a loom not meant to have them but you seem to have it all under control.
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Post by neilsmith on Oct 24, 2015 12:12:06 GMT
I fitted rotating heater vents in the dashboard so that they can direcct warm air to the passengers and can also be rotated around to demist the windscreen. They are available from 'car builder solutions'or 'demon tweeks'.
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Post by neilsmith on Oct 24, 2015 12:17:44 GMT
The heater that came with the car when I bought it was from a 'mini' but it hadn't been fitted to the 'Eagle'. The build manual tells you that the best place to locate it is under the dashboard above the passengers feet.
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Post by neilsmith on Oct 24, 2015 12:28:56 GMT
After being painted with satin black paint it was fitted into this position along side a heat control valve so that it doesn't get too hot inside the car. I fitted it as high up as possible so not to reduce leg room for the passenger.
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Post by neilsmith on Oct 31, 2015 16:54:49 GMT
I bought these seats from a breakers yard in essex at a cost of £75. They came from a 'Bedford midi' and there are not many seats that will recline and be narrow enough to fit an 'Eagle'. They have a nice slim lever on the side to recline them. I had to make a template of the floor area so that when I fitted a set of universal seat runners I could calculate the best place to drill through the floor. The seats are only loosely fitted at the moment and I will need to make up some spacers so that they fit a little more level. When I have finished the bodywork and had the car painted I will have the seats recovered in black leather or vinyl.
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Post by Peter on Oct 31, 2015 21:15:11 GMT
I bought these seats from a breakers yard in essex at a cost of £75. They came from a 'Bedford midi' and there are not many seats that will recline and be narrow enough to fit an 'Eagle'. They have a nice slim lever on the side to recline them. I had to make a template of the floor area so that when I fitted a set of universal seat runners I could calculate the best place to drill through the floor. The seats are only loosely fitted at the moment and I will need to make up some spacers so that they fit a little more level. When I have finished the bodywork and had the car painted I will have the seats recovered in black leather or vinyl. View AttachmentView AttachmentThose look on great condition, the original seats on my SS were Bedford Rascal seats. They certainly were a perfect fit. I had mine retrimmed by Intratrim of Telford for £150 the pair. The current sports seats cost £200 a pair and a tight fit but great looking but with hindsight I should have stuck with the Rascal seats and had them re-covered.
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Post by Peter on Oct 31, 2015 21:24:05 GMT
I had mine with a 1" spacer under the fronts to give thigh support.
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